The American Nurses Association’s (ANA) annual celebration of National Nurses Week, which begins on May 6 and ends on May 12(in observance of Florence Nightingale’s birthday), recognizes the millions of nurses who make up the backbone of the American healthcare system.

It’s meant to be a week that we all stop and reflect upon all of the hard work that our nurses and nurse educators do each and every day. It’s meant to be a week where we, as a society (not just those of us who work in healthcare) recognize and celebrate the nurses who have touched all of our lives.

During National Nurses Week and throughout the year, HealthcareSource is proud to support healthcare organizations in their mission to elevate the role that nurses play in delivering high-quality patient and resident care.

There are many ways to celebrate and show your appreciation throughout Nurses Week, but here are just a few ideas to get you started:

1. Workplace Recognition:Highlight nurses who go above and beyond with special awards at events or ceremonies. Public recognition will not only help validate what they do but can work to inspire others to follow their lead! You can also use this time to honor nurses for their years of service, or commitment to the profession.

2. Listen:Provide opportunities for nurses to offer feedback on the policies and processes in your organization that affects them. Regardless of whether you use a shared decision-making structure currently, take this week to get a feel for the pulse of your organization. Make sure your nurses are happy and ask for suggestions on where you can make improvements. And then, follow through on what you’ve heard!

3. Hold an Organization or Community-Wide Event:Ask staff, patients, and patients’ family members to submit a story about a great experience they had at your organization that involved a nurse. Or ask children to color and share nurse-themed pictures and display them in a hallway.

4. Development opportunities:Provide your nurses with the opportunity to earn advanced certifications or complete advanced degree programs. Offering ongoing professional development opportunities will not only show your nurses that you’re investing in them, but can help them on their career path, and even improve the patients’ experience!The HealthcareSource eLearning Library has a number of nursing-specific development courses that can be delivered through your learning management system. For a sampling of what we have to offer, check out our

How are you celebrating National Nurses Week?

Let us know in the comments below and on May 15 we’ll randomly select one commenter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

If you’re looking for more information about how your healthcare organization can celebrate your nurses and facilitate a culture of nursing excellence, check out ourNursing Appreciation and Excellence Webinar Series featuring Gen Guanci, MEd, RN-BC, CCRN, Consultant of Creative Health Care Management.

In these webinars, you’ll learn the essential elements for creating a culture of excellence, gain an understanding of the algorithmic approach needed to identify and correct both knowledge deficits and performance issues, and we’ll reveal the critical issues impacting the nursing profession that must be addressed in order to achieve continued success.